What Would I Say To My Younger Self? (Giveaway: Win a Google Nexus 7)

Oh, there are so many things I could say to my younger self if I had the chance. I might point out running down that bank of rubble in high-heeled boots is not a good idea, it would certainly save the torn ligaments and months of pain. Or I might have to point out that the note that we were given as change in the Los Angeles' petrol station was in fact not $100 but a $1,000,000 Monopoly money note.

Possibly we had 'tourist' written on our heads that day.

But on a more serious note, what would I say to my younger self?

This is a novel one for me, because essentially I believe everything happens for a reason, and that these events shape our lives; giving us new direction. I also feel it is better to regret something that you have done than something you haven't.

However, I'm willing to be a little reflective:

To the 13 year old using a pair of scissors to cut off the legs of her jeans and make them into shorts?

Close the blades of the scissors and put them on the floor. Don't leave them in your hand pointing towards your knee when you are adjusting your kneeling position. It will save your three hours in A&E.

To the 17 year old sixth-former who couldn't see a way through the bullying?

Hold your head up high lovely, this is one year of a very happy life, and she is not worth getting upset about. Listen to your mum and she will help you. And the people who aren't there for you are not friends.

To the 20 year old girl who lacked confidence in her appearance and thought she wasn't the attractive one of the group?

Take a long, hard look in the mirror my love, because you're wrong. You are young and vibrant. You've got a beautiful smile and sparkly eyes. Your hair is amazing. You've got a wonderful figure and your posture rocks. Have some more confidence in yourself and keep smiling!

To the 24 year old booking her honeymoon in Paris?

Don't! Paris is cold at the end of December. Really cold! Plus you're vegetarian and will not be able to find anything to eat apart from pizza or curry for five days. This will result in you eating a dodgy crepe and having food poisoning, cutting short the end of your honeymoon. Go somewhere hot and sunny instead!

To the 35 year old who thinks she's got plenty of time left to have another child, and has listened to too many other women who have convinced her that she has birth trauma following The Boy's birth?

They don't know what they're talking about, you're fine. And DON'T leave it! Just don't! Time will crack on and before you know it you'll be staring 40 in the eye and struggling to fall pregnant.

To the 37 year old falling asleep on the sofa last night?

GO TO BED! It's midnight and you're tired!

What advice would you give your younger self?

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I would tell her everything is for a reason and all the things she goes through shape her to be the person she is today. SO all in all nothing, as I wouldn't change a single thing, even the heartache and the hard times.

I would tell my younger self – Enjoy every moment, take more photos, go to university, go to concerts and festivals, spend more time with your grandparents whilst you can, don't worry about what (you think!) others are thinking about you, you are NOT Fat!

Oh lovely, I love this post, it is so difficult to see our way through when those things really are such big things at the time. Now, I keep having to say to myself that in a few months this will have just been a blink of the eye, but it is so difficult when you are living every moment. I hope you have found yourself enough to find the time to appreciate you. You are amazing.

I wish my younger self had understood a parent's unconditional love. And that I needed to forgive myself for the mistakes I made, not worry about them forgiving, forgiveness had never been a part of their consideration. They really did just only ever want me to be happy- and no matter how many time they told me I never believed them!

To the 12 year old girl – your parents are splitting up, the next four years are going to be incredibly hard but things will get easier. Oh and hide the brandy bottle from your broken mother.

To the 18 year old girl – it doesn't matter that you decided education wasn't for you, you will go on to have a very successful career that didn't require a higher education after all.

To the 30 year old about to be married – take that pregnancy test, you always said you were going to on your wedding eve however you didn't. If you had you would have found out that you were 8-weeks pregnant and what a great announcement that would have been!

To the 34 year old who is so undecided about her new blog design – go with your gut!

I am another great believer of everything happens for a reason and shapes you as a person. The one thing I would say to my younger self at 18/19/20, appreciate your Mum and make sure she knows how much you love her, you have a lot less time with her than you think.

Oh darling, such a touching post, loved it. To always go with my gut , sorry about your stint in A & E and Paris is cold in the winter (eek about the food poisoning) too but all these experiences shape us, hugs x

When you get that job when you're 19 that means working away from home for 6 weeks don't turn it down. Don't be a wimp! You'll miss the chance of being in at the start of something that's huge in the age of technology.

learn to think before you open your mouth and shove your big foot in it. That your daughter who was given less than 6 hrs to live at 4 weeks old and spent 13 years of her life in and out of hospital will grow up to be an amazing woman so dont spend hours/weeks/months/years worrying about her

21 is not on the shelf you don't need to marry him, you are young, beautiful and smart, travel, take risks, learn but just don't do it.

Yes 25 is very young to get divorced but you are in a violent marriage and have to do it, yes mum will I say I told you so for the next 20 years, but that's ok.

Dont second guess it, the move to England will be the best thing you have ever done.

Oh and to my 8 year old self -In the future you won't have to dial numbers on a phone. You won't need a phone book or an address book or to memorise numbers. We will all have little boxses that have touch screens and everything you ever need to know contained inside them. Marvellous!

To my 8 yr old self – don't leave your homework until the last minute, it will become a tricky habit to break later in your education.

To my 17 year old self, although he has your best interests at heart, do the a levels and degree modules that you want to do, not the ones dad thinks Will be the best for your career, you need to enjoy what you're doing to have the motivation to do it.

To my 18 yr old self – make more of an effort with your friends, rather than your boyfriend. You'll end up marrying him, so have a lifetime for cosy nights in with dvds, but you'll miss that special relationship with your friends.

To my 21 yr old self, go to America the summer you graduate, you will both get jobs and won't have another chance for a three week break. Before you know it 5 years will have passed and you will have had a baby and will have missed the chance. (Maybe when you retire?!?)

To 23 yr old self. It's your wedding, not your mil' s, do what you want, leave when you want to. Enjoy it, don't spend the day worrying about what people thought of it!

I suppose I'd tell my younger self that no matter how bad things got or how terrible the people in my life were going to be, everything will be worth it eventually. And to ditch that horrid woman who called herself my mother. What a waste of time! I'd urge myself to move into my own place and give all men a wide berth. I'd tell myself to travel and find a way to try to eliminate insomnia.

Mostly I'd tell myself that tomorrow turns out ok, despite how long it takes to get there and how much suffering is endured along the way. And that I'm sorry about August 2006. Some things, no matter how much you want them, are outside of your control.

don't be scared to ask for help after having JR post natal depression is nothing to be ashamed of and despite what certain family members tell you he won't be taken away for admitting you're struggling.

Oh gosh that's a toughie isn't it? I always tell myself not to have regrets as every decision i've made has led to me being where I am today. However I would tell my teen-aged self that being grown up isn't all it's cracked up to be, I would encourage her to enjoy the carefree time and not wish it all away as the time will come where she wishes she made more of it.

Have confidence in yourself, do not listen to negative nasty comments, work hard and save hard, but most of all be happy with who you are, be kind to others, and smile, enjoy your life, you are only here once, make the most of it.

id say when the loud mouth show off shows you some attention , dont agree to go on a date with him !!! theres much better fish out there in the sea so dont settle for the first one to show interest !!!

aged 7 – don't try and ice skate on that piece of glass as it will leave your legs scarred forever
aged 14 – Don't break your heart over your first love, much better will follow
aged 21 – Cherish every moment of your first born and the 2 more that follow as they grow up so quick!

Probably the one main thing would be to learn how to drive, because you'll absolutely hate having to get the bus to and from work everyday! And you'll loathe that you can't just decide to go somewhere at the last minute, as it's constant planning for when to get a bus *grumble grumble* 😉

Don't ever start drinking alcohol – it will get you into so many places you don't want to be! Easier not to start, than to give it up later in life…
Find ways of developing your self-confidence: it's easier at your age than it is at 29!

You know, things will work out in the end. Chill and enjoy where you are at right now. You don't know the future but you know who holds the future in His hands, this is more than enough to feel secure about what lies ahead. You'll see, you'll smile loads even though there'll be some tears too.

I would say take more photos! – I lost a big period of my life because I only have memories to look back on, when I could have taken pictures of friends and family who are now lost to time and space. x

You've got a voice
Just learn to speak.
Life's confusing now
But won't always be bleak.
Say what's on your mind
And dont be pushed around
Listen to your heart
And learn to stand your ground
Listen to your parents
Get your homework done.
Go out with your friends
And have a little fun!
Childhoods not forever
So enjoy each and every day
Next time that you look,
You'll be getting old and grey

have more fun!
my dad always tried to encourage me to go out with friends, have fun, be a teenager! instead i was trying to be grown up and letting blokes dictate my life, then at 20 i had my first baby and that was the end of it, im now 24 and i have no stories of mis-spent youth, of crazy days and the nights i dont remember. take advantage of the here and now, you dont know whats around the corner.

I think i would be pretty worried about changing things if i could go backand talk to my younger self, i would liked to have never started smoking but if i hadn't then i wouldn't have met my husband and would have never have my wonderful kids, the same if i had stayed at school or 100 other things. maybe the safest things would be to go back 10 months and tell myself that it is NOT going to take a few hours to pack up my house, myself, my husband and 4 kids and that it will NOT only take a few hours to unpack all of that aswell. I moved a couple of weeks before christmas witha 2 month old baby, 1year old, 2 year old and spent the whole month around christmas stressed and trying to cope with moving and 3 young kids. i wish i had packed better and not stressed about trying to get it all done right away. I'd probably also tell myself not to eat that chinese last week as i had an upset stomach the next day

Always hold your head up high, have belief and confidence in yourself, yes there are bad times but they are massively outweighed by the good, if at first you don't succeed try try again…oh and enjoy chocolate…just not too much!

Id tell myself to not listen to the constant bullying i had to put up with day in day out, to take more chances, let myself be more confident and try not to overly worry about everything. It all get better eventually.

Don't get so distracted by wanting to be with friends all the time in the fear of 'missing out'. Just concentrate on what I want to do so I can get where I want to be.
Miss Tulip xThe Thrifty Magpies Nest

To my 27yr old self: Say sorry to your mum and stop being an idiot over nothing, it's all well and good thinking you'll talk to her and apologise tomorrow but 5 years later you're still kicking yourself that you never got that chance.

If I could go back
and talk to myself,
I don't think I'd change a darn thing!
Its just that despite
having a pretty hard life,
where I am now is just amazing.
If I went back now,
and said 'Do this!' Or 'Do that!'
What if that changed who I am?
I might get hit by a bus,
or marry someone called Gus!
or worse, end up allergic to Spam!
So I'd leave things as they are,
Well, I don't have any scars!
And while things were bad I'm ok!
I might have tons of advice,
could tell myself to think twice,
But I do so love my life this way! <3

I would tell my teenage self to ignore the bullies and be confident and happy with who I am and what I look like – that the bullies would later apologize to me and tell me that they had no idea why they did it.

I would also tell my 27 year old self that my sickly, underweight first baby needs to a tonsil adenoidectomy with grommets fitting so that we could skip a year and a half of worry with him being very ill while no Dr actually diagnosed the problem! (It was finally done when he was 2.)

Love your messages to yourself.
Mine would be to my 22 year old self: believe yourself when you tell your then boyfriend that you wished you'd meet again in 10 years time. In 10 years time he makes the perfect husband!

Your childhood won't last forever. Work harder , study better , one day you will learn that it doesn't matter what others say. Live your dream and fuel your ambition. Don't quit university…..go back. Don't grow up with regrets , fight for what you want and keep trying. One day you will be where I am……happy.